


In the Dead of Night

by SugarsweetRomantic



Category: Wentworth (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gentle fluff, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 10:58:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12231459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarsweetRomantic/pseuds/SugarsweetRomantic
Summary: Vera runs into a familiar face during a late-night trip to the grocery store.





	In the Dead of Night

Vera sighed as she parked her car in the parking lot of the only convenience store in her neighbourhood that was open past 8:00 PM. She loved her job; she really did, but lately, the long shifts had started to take their toll on her. Something in her back made a cracking sound when she got up out of the vehicle and walked over to the front door. The first employee she encountered gave her an empathic smile. Marvellous, she must look about as great as she felt. Nodding towards the young woman, she quickly made her way to the frozen produce aisle. A frozen pizza was about all of the efforts she felt like putting into cooking today, and even that felt like a stretch. She grabbed a thin box from the softly-humming freezer without even checking what the toppings were. She didn’t care. She just wanted to get some food, and possibly some wine, and get home.

“Please tell me you’re going to donate that, and not eat it yourself, Miss Bennett.” Vera nearly let the frozen dough drop to the floor.

“Governor? I..what…?” she stammered, attempting to regain her composure. Joan Ferguson looked pristine, like she hadn’t just finished a 16-hour shift at a maximum security prison at all. The tall woman was carrying a basket filled with fresh produce and mineral water. Of course she was.

“I can’t have my staff eat such little-nutritious food; that won’t do. You will come home with me, and I will provide you with a decent meal,” the Governor of Wentworth stated, leaving no room for objections. Vera only nodded, her mouth slightly agape. “Very well. Please finish your shopping. I will wait for you outside, and you can follow me in your vehicle.” Flabbergasted, Vera grabbed a box of tea and some chocolates and walked towards the till on auto-pilot. She paid for her excuse of a meal before walking outside to see Joan standing next to her vehicle, waiting for her deputy. Nodding at Vera, she waited until the petite woman had safely gotten into her car. Once the brunette had started the engine, the Governor climbed into her own and drove off towards her home.

 

When Vera killed the engine and stepped out of her car, she wasn’t sure what she was expecting to happen, if anything at all. She was bracing herself for the Governor to change her mind. Why would such a woman invite a woman like herself into her home? Surely she had offered it on a whim, and she would retract her offer the moment she got the chance to. Attempting to look sympathetic and understanding, she walked up to the front of the house, where Joan was unlocking her door. The tall woman spun around once the lock clicked and the key turned, facing Vera.

“Please, come in. I do ask that you remove your shoes.”

Well, that wasn’t exactly what she had expected now, was it? Vera quickly followed her superior inside, marvelling at the décor she encountered even just in the entryway. Everything was so clean and neat, a 180-degree contrast with her own home. Joan took off her shoes and slipped into a pair of soft-looking black slippers. Vera thanked the Gods above that she had chosen today to wear a new pair of stockings underneath her skirt, as the ones she had worn yesterday had a small hole on the ball of her right foot. That just didn’t feel acceptable in such a perfect environment. She swiftly pulled her heels off and left them by the door. With a nod of her head, the Governor beckoned her to follow her into a spacious living room.

“Make yourself comfortable; dinner will be ready in approximately twenty minutes. There’s TV, the radio, or books. Whichever pleases you most.”

Vera took a seat on the large black sectional sofa in the centre of the room and switched on the TV to the news. The pristine setting made her feel aware of every imperfection currently affecting her being. Her French twist had long lost the tension it had had in the morning, her underwire was poking her left breast, and there was a small stain on the sleeve of her shirt, for now safely hidden underneath her uniform jacket. God, what was she thinking? She was a mess! Maybe she could still leave without disappointing the Governor. She could fake an illness. No, that wasn’t a suitable option. She wanted to be able to come into work tomorrow. Perhaps she could pretend there was a family emergency. Of course not, Joan had read her personnel file. Maybe, just maybe, she could…

“Dinner is served. If you’d please follow me.” Shit, had so much time already passed? Nodding nervously, Vera let Joan lead her towards the kitchen, where the older woman had placed two plates and two glasses of the mineral water she had purchased at the store. The plates were filled with what seemed to be pasta in a home-made sauce. The smell of tomatoes and basil floated through the air. Clearing her throat, Vera spoke her first words since entering her superior’s home: “It smells lovely.” Joan gave her a soft, friendly smile in response.

“Thank you, Vera. Please, eat.”

 

The meal passed in a comfortable silence. The food tasted as heavenly as it had smelled, and Vera had had to suppress a slight moan as the gentle flavours had hit her senses. She had offered to help clean up, but Joan had declined. Now, she was standing at the front entrance again, her shoes dangling from the fingers of her left hand.

“Thank you, Governor. The meal was wonderful. Much better than the frozen pizza could ever have been,” she complimented her superior, nerves racing through her body causing her to articulate the words without a single breath or pause taken in between. Joan only offered her another polite smile in response, opening the door behind her. This obviously was her signal to leave. Darn it, she must have ruined it by that last anxiously rambled remark. Hanging her head, Vera slipped into her shoes and stepped over the threshold.

“Good night, Governor.” Just as she was about to leave, long, slim fingers grasped her wrist. Vera turned back around to face the raven-haired woman.

Joan bent forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Vera’s cheek.

“Good night, Vera.”

With that, she closed the door.

 

Walking to her car, Vera could have sworn she saw Joan watching her from behind the curtains until she had made it inside her Mazda.

**Author's Note:**

> I am aware that my description of Joan's home does not fit the home we saw on the show - this is just how I chose to depict it. I'm curious to hear what you thought. This has been my first time writing for Vera/Joan that wasn't a one-way longing or admiration.


End file.
